Future wireless communication networks, and in particular fifth generation networks, will require a large capacity, and this will necessitate a large communication bandwidth. Consequently, receivers for use in such networks will be required to operate at high frequency with low noise and low power consumption. A key element of a receiver is a low noise amplifier (LNA), located between an antenna and a down-conversion mixer. Therefore, there is a requirement for an improved amplifier.
In “A 1.2-V Highly Linear Balanced Noise-Cancelling LNA in 0.13-um CMOS”, Jarkko Jussila and Pete Sivonen, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 43, No. 3, March 2008 (“Jussila et al”), a noise-cancelling LNA is disclosed that employs a technique referred to as a current-to-voltage combiner. FIG. 1, which is reproduced from Jussila et al, illustrates a scheme in which output currents of common-gate (CG) and common-source (CS) field effect transistors (FETs) are converted to voltages, and the voltages are summed.